BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Ole Miss men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the Southeastern Conference Western Division, while Terrico White and Chris Warren were tabbed preseason All-SEC in a voting by a select panel of both SEC and national media members, released Monday by the league office.

Andy Kennedy's Rebels head into the 2009-10 campaign with high hopes and a roster loaded with talent and experience. They were 16-15 last season and finished tied for fourth in the SEC West with a 7-9 record despite competing without the services of injured veteran leaders Warren, Eniel Polynice and Trevor Gaskins.

Kentucky was predicted by the media to claim the overall SEC Championship with 20 votes, topping Mississippi State (three votes) and Tennessee (two votes). The Wildcats were also picked to finish atop the SEC East with 148 total points (23 first-place votes), ahead of second-place Tennessee's 117 points (two first-place votes). Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia round out the top six in the East.

In the West, Mississippi State's 144 total points (22 first-place votes) were ahead of Ole Miss' 120 points (two first-place votes). Alabama was picked third with 84 points. LSU, Arkansas and Auburn round out the top six in the West.

White, the 2009 SEC Freshman of the Year, was one of five players selected to the preseason All-SEC first team, along with South Carolina's Devan Downey, Kentucky's Patrick Patterson (Preseason SEC Player of the Year), Tyler Smith of Tennessee and Jarvis Varnado of Mississippi State.

Warren is a preseason All-SEC selection for the second straight year and is joined on the second team by LSU's Tasmin Mitchell, Vanderbilt's A.J. Ogilvy, Auburn's DeWayne Reed and Kentucky's John Wall.

Ole Miss has been receiving a favorable outlook from numerous preseason publications throughout the summer and fall. Outlets that have tabbed the Rebels as an NCAA Tournament team include Lindy's, Athlon and Yahoo! Sports. FoxSports.com has placed Ole Miss at No. 25 in its preseason national rankings, while also predicting the team to finish atop the SEC West.

In various individual honors, White has been named an honorable mention All-American by numerous outlets, while he and Warren have been placed on several All-SEC teams. White has been tabbed the nation's No. 4 scorer (Athlon) and No. 4 shooting guard (Lindy's), while Warren has been tabbed the nation's No. 9 floor leader (Athlon). The Rebel backcourt has been ranked as high as ninth-best in the country (Lindy's).

SEC Men's Basketball Preseason Media Poll
(First-Place Votes in Parentheses; *-unanimous selection)

SEC Champion: Kentucky (20); Mississippi State (3); Tennessee (2)

Eastern Division Points
Kentucky (23) 148
Tennessee (2) 117
Vanderbilt 90
South Carolina 77
Florida 68
Georgia 25

Western Division Points
Mississippi State (22) 144
Ole Miss (2) 120
Alabama 84
LSU (1) 70
Arkansas 63
Auburn 44

FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
Devan Downey, South Carolina G 5-9 175 Sr. Chester, S.C.
*Patrick Patterson, Kentucky F 6-9 235 Jr. Huntington, W.Va.
Tyler Smith, Tennessee G/F 6-7 215 Sr. Pulaski, Tenn.
Jarvis Varnado, Mississippi State F 6-9 230 Sr. Brownsville, Tenn.
Terrico White, Ole Miss G 6-5 211 So. Memphis, Tenn.

SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU F 6-7 235 Sr. Denham Springs, La.
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt C 6-11 250 Jr. Sydney, Australia
DeWayne Reed, Auburn G 6-1 175 Sr. Houston, Texas
John Wall, Kentucky G 6-4 195 Fr. Raleigh, N.C.
Chris Warren, Ole Miss G 5-10 165 Jr. Orlando, Fla.

SEC Player of the Year: Patrick Patterson, Kentucky